5 Steps To Hire A Band For Your Wedding

by The Phonix BandSeptember 08, 2017

You’ve finally found it…

Your only online resource that actually gives you a practical guide to booking your wedding entertainment.

There’s enough fluffy content online with paragraphs of conceptual recommendations describing various entertainment considerations, but you don’t have time for that. What you need is a list of steps that you can easily execute.

Behold, your wedding entertainment checklist!

Let’s get right to it…

STEP 1: Brainstorm

Chances are, if you don’t know what you’re looking for, you’re not going to find it. This section helps you get clear about the best entertainment for your celebration.

Select your favourite genres:

R&B/Soul

Funk

Blues

Rock

Rock 'n Roll

Big Band Jazz

Dixieland

Country

Top 40

80's Disco

Electronic

Rap/Hip Hop

List some of your favourite songs you'd like to hear during the dance:

What is your first dance song:

Will the first dance song be performed by the band or played from a recording?

What is the ideal band size?

4-6 piece:Bands of this size can have great energy, but rarely come with ahorn section. Depending on your preferred music genres, a horn section may be a necessity. Obviously, the cost is less, but surprisingly, the size isn't much different. The size difference when adding a horn section is really just the addition of standing room for 2 or 3 people. The bulk of the space taken up by any band usually pertains to the sound system and the rhythm section instruments (bass, drums, piano, guitar).

7-10 piece:A bigger band usually means multiple lead singers, a full horn section (trumpet, trombone, saxophone, etc) and the most accurate renditions of all your favourite songs. More action on-stage means a more engaging show and a more interactive and memorable experience for you and your guests. Because of the size and diversity of these ensembles, it's common for them to offer services for your ceremony (like a sound system or a solo musician), live dinner entertainment and even dancers. You can save money when you package these services together and get them all from one place. The Phonix offers all of the above services in our variouswedding entertainment packages.

Dinner Music:

Don't hit the search engines just yet! The next section (budgeting) will help you narrow down what you can afford so you can begin your research with more accuracy.

The Phonix offers ceremony musicians, instrumental Jazz music for your dinner and cocktails, and a full 9-piece funk, soul and R&B dance band for your reception dance. We can learn your first dance song too.

For the best dance floor results and the longest lasting party, think carefully about your range of guest age groups and make sure your band can perform accordingly. Don't be afraid to ask your friends for a little help here!

STEP 2: Set Your Wedding Music Budget

Okay, so the title of this post might have been a bit misleading. Hopefully you're aware that a great band is going to cost more than $500.

Truth is, you'll need at least $2-3k if you want a reputable band. Expect the price to go up in proportion to band size and quality level.

Use the information from your brainstorm in step 1 to select the services you want from the list below.

Accommodations: expect to provide accommodations for a band when they cannot be back in their home city by 1am following a performance.

2-6 Hotel Rooms

Meals: It is fairly standard for a purchaser to provide dinner for band members and technician on the evening of a performance

2-11 meals

Tax (GST at 5%)

5%

5%

How big of a band should you choose? Obviously your budget is the main concern here, but band size is a great area to invest a little more money in, if you can. The bigger the band, the more engaging it is and the more fun your crowd will have. Larger bands often come with horns sections, which fill out the sound tremendously and add a unique flare that will captivate your guests.

The size of your venue might be less important than you think. Don't rule out a larger band just because you're party isn't in a stadium. Many bands are able to pack into surprisingly small spaces and still pack a huge punch. The Phonix will happily do a free site inspection with you if you have any doubts!

Now, add up the low end and high end totals.

We expect the costs of our wedding entertainment to be between:

$_____________ and $_____________.

PRO TIP:Service providers that are priced closer to the "low end" may have little experience or no reputation. We strongly advise steering clear of any services priced below these rates as you may be disappointed when you get what you pay for. Bands and services priced closer to the "high end" are likely to be the cream of the crop and should come with years of experience and a great reputation.

NOTE: Is this information helping you out? We spent weeks putting it all together for you. Please consider helping us out in return!

BONUS: We'll give you a copy of this post as a downloadable PDF workbook for you to add to your wedding planning kit!

STEP 3: Band Choices

By now, you should have an idea of the overall vibe and main musical genres you're looking for. Re-work your budget numbers until you are comfortable, then start searching.

Search for wedding bands or DJs near you:

Did you like a band you saw at a friend's wedding? Call your friend and get that band's contact info.

Ask your wedding planner for some recommendations or talk to your venue about great bands that have played there in the past. Don't have a planner? We highly recommend all of thesefantastic Vancouver wedding planners.

By now, you should have a healthy list of band names. Head over to their websites and check out their videos. This part is kind of like dating. If you get a weird feeling watching their video, go with your gut and get out! On a more serious note though, look for things like audience engagement, versatility, stage presence and fun!

Fill out this form for each band you wish to seriously assess:

Band Scoring and Info Sheet

Band Name: Email:Band Size(s):Stage Size:

Website:Phone:Referred By:Band Is Available: Yes / No

Attend a performance:

Attended performance on: _____/_____/_____(date)

(NOTE: If you'd like to check out a Phonix performance, head over to ourShowspage.)

Score the band:

Skill level: ___ /10

Audience Engagement: ___ / 10

Plays repertoire we like: ___ / 10

Fun score: ___ / 10

Matches our "vibe" (see step 1): ___ / 10

Website score: ___ / 10

Band Score: / 60

Get a quote:

Requested quote on: _____/_____/_____

Received quote on: _____/_____/_____

The quote amount is $, and includes:

Ceremony sound system

Ceremony musician(s)

Cocktails/dinner entertainment

DJ for reception

Small band for reception (4 or 5 piece)

Medium band for reception (6 or 7 piece)

Large band for reception (9 or 10 piece)

Sound system, lighting and technician

Travel expenses

Accommodations

Other:

Other:

Deposit amount of $, is due / /.

Assess deal-breakers:

Quote fits our budget

Band can learn our first dance

Positive reviews from past weddings

We have adequate space in our venue

Band uses a professional contract

Experienced wedding entertainers

STEP 4: Book Your Wedding Band

The band scoring and info sheet in step 3 should help you narrow down the best band for your wedding.

The next step is to book the band!

Once you have made a choice, don't delay on this step. Great bands book 12-18 months in advance. Not only that, if you're in a big city (like Vancouver or bigger), you're likelycompeting with about 5,000 other wedding couplesfor about 50 desirable wedding dates (Saturdays).

As soon as you have your venue locked down, book the band!

Here's your task list for taking care of the booking:

To Do ASAP:

Complete a consultation with the bandleader or band's agent:

This is where you'll hash out all the details, finalize price and draft a contract. Any pro band will have a questionnaire for you to fill out so they get all the information they need.

Sign contract and pay deposit:

Check your contract for these items:

Load-in, sound check, performance start & end times

Meals for musicians and/or technician

Deposit amount and conditions (usually 25-50%)

Cancellation clause

Breakdown of all costs

Names of all musicians

Date and address of engagement

Your full name and address

Complete name and address of band or DJ

Contract is dated and signed by both you and the bandleader

Complete a site inspection with the bandleader:

Stage location & size

Electrical requirements

Greenroom & storage area (for instrument cases etc)

Introduction to on-site venue contact person

Load-in & load-out procedures

Ceremony music performance location

Other:

PRO TIP:• Steer clear of any band that doesn't use acontract. Aside from it being a legalguaranteethat you will get a service for your money, it puts all yourevent details in one placeand eliminates the risk of anything being overlooked.

• Asite inspectionmay not be necessary if your venue is very straightforward and the band has performed there before. However, don't be afraid to push for a site inspection if it will put your mind at ease. Any reputable bandleader will happily oblige.

STEP 5: Final To Do's

The contract is signed and the deposit is made. The big party is fast approaching!

Here are the last few loose ends you'll need to tie up:

To Do 1-2 months before:

Select songs for the set lists and first dance song:

Request song list from band (if they haven't already sent it)

Select songs to be played

Return list to band

Communicate your desired first dance song and any other song requests

To Do One Week Before:

Prepare final payment due:

Write a cheque or schedule an eTransfer

If cheque, give it to your day-of coordinator with instructions to give to the band following the performance

To Do On The Day-Of:

Enjoy your party!

Don't forget to pay the band yourself if you didn't arrange for someone else to.

To Do One Week After:

Write a review for the band.

A review is one of the most generous things you can do for the band. If they rocked your party, say so!

Most bands will ask for a review, but if not, you can review them yourself on Google, WeddingWire, Facebook or just send them an email.

What's next?

Great job! You made it through.

Now that you're aware of everything you need to check off your list to secure your wedding entertainment, the only thing left is to DO IT!

And how better to do it, then to grab a PDF workbook version of this post that you can print out and add to your wedding planning kit.

We know that planning your wedding entertainment can seem like a daunting task, but our goal is to make it fun and easy for you. No matter where you are located or how big or small your budget is.

It literally took us weeks to put together this post and PDF, not to mention the years of experience behind all the lists and tips. If you got some value out of this post, or would benefit from owning our 5 STEP WEDDING ENTERTAINMENT CHECKLIST Workbook, we'd be super grateful if you bought us a coffee!

PS: YOUR 5 STEP WEDDING ENTERTAINMENT CHECKLIST workbook will give you confidence in choosing a band or DJ, help you establish a budget, provide expert advice and keep all your important research in one place. Don’t delay, the best bands are getting booked right now! No risk with our 7-day 100% money back guarantee.